The subject beta-fructofuranosidase enzyme food supplement composition was invented to meet the needs of the numerous people who needlessly suffer from gastrointestinal discomfort and flatulence because of the difficulty they have in digesting the oligosaccharides raffinose, stachyose and verbascose, which are known as alpha-galactosyl oligosaccharides, and are present in various foods such as legumes, bran, cruciferous vegetables, onions, garlic and some fruits. Because these oligosaccharides are not digestible by enzymes endogenous to a human's gastrointestinal system, they pass intact to the large intestine, where they are consumed by putrefactive bacteria such as Clostridia and E. coli and evolve as the metabolic by-product gases carbon dioxide and hydrogen as well as noxious methane. Even though the percentage of the oligosaccharides raffinose, stachyose and verbascose in these types of foods may seem small (for example, approximately only two percent are found in a prime offender, refried beans), waste gases can still be produced in sufficient volumes to cause gastrointestinal cramping and discomfort, as well as flatulence, that often accompany the intake of ingested foods containing these oligosaccharides. The beta-fructofuranosidase enzyme of the present invention is able to convert these offending oligosaccharides into the simpler, digestible sugars, such as fructose, which are known as reducing sugars, thereby alleviating gastrointestinal distress.
Prior to the present invention, to alleviate the gastrointestinal problems caused by ingesting foods containing these offending oligosaccharides people had the choice of either avoiding these foods entirely or using a food additive or an enzyme food supplement composition which contained the enzyme alpha-galactosidase as the only active ingredient.
A liquid product sold under the trademark BEANO by AkPharma has been described as an enzyme or food additive that reduces or eliminates the intestinal gas produced when foods such as beans, broccoli, bran and other vegetables and grains that are a staple in healthy low-fat, high-fiber diets, are eaten. That liquid food additive BEANO product contains the enzyme alpha-galactosidase obtained from Aspergillus niger. The alpha-galactosidase enzyme contained in the BEANO product works in a different manner than the beta-fructofuranosidase enzyme contained in the enzyme food supplement composition of the present invention. The beta-fructofuranosidase enzyme reduces the oligosaccharides of raffinose, stachyose and verboscose by converting the fructofuranose portion of the molecule to fructose. The alpha-galactosidase enzyme reacts with the galactopyranose portion of the raffinose, stachyose and verbascose molecules, but leaves the glucopyranose frustofuranose portion of those molecules intact.
The additional enzymes contained in the compositions of the present invention--the cellulase, hemicellulase, lipase and acid protease enzymes--are believed to contribute to the further alleviation of gastrointestinal distress by enhancing the conversion of oligosaccharides to reducing sugars in the following manner.
The cellulase and hemicellulase enzymes of the enzyme food supplement compositions of this invention degrade the cellulosic and hemicellulosic constituents contained in the plant cell walls of the ingested food. This degradation leads to the release of oligosaccharides contained in the plant cells, thereby making these oligosaccharides available for conversion to reducing sugars by the beta-fructofuranosidase enzyme of the present invention. Without the presence of the cellulase and hemicellulase enzymes in the enzyme food supplement composition of the present invention, the plant cell walls contained in ingested food would not be degraded by the digestive enzymes endogenous to the gastrointestinal tract of a human being. The cellulase enzyme is important because it degrades the primary plant cell wall, which if passed to the colon as intact plant cells can be attacked by putrefactive bacteria such a C. perfringens, which ferment the contents of the plant cell, causing gastric distress. The hemicellulase enzyme is important because it breaks the structure of xylans and related compounds, which are usually associated with cellulose and lignin in leguminous foods. This enzymatic activity helps to free the cellulose for hydrolysis by cellulase. Therefore, the presence of the cellulase and hemicellulase enzymes of the enzyme food supplement compositions of this invention degrade cellulosic and hemicellulosic constituents contained in the ingested food, to attain an enhanced quantity of reducing sugars through oligosaccharide conversion, thereby further alleviating gastrointestinal distress.
The optional lipase enzyme is important because many recipes containing legumes, such as refried beans, also contain large amounts of fat, and the lipase enzyme aids in the digestion of fats or lipids. The maldigestion of such fats or lipids can cause or aggravate heartburn, hiatus hernia and esophageal reflux. Ingested lipids can also coat ingested food particles and limit their ability to interact with the other enzymes, in particular the beta-fructofuranosidase enzyme of the present invention. This coating effect is diminished by enzymatic hydrolysis of the fats or lipids contained in ingested foods.
The optional acid protease enzyme of the present invention is important for several reasons. The acid protease enzyme degrades proteinaceous trypsin inhibitor and alpha-amylase inhibitor, which interfere with normal digestion, in addition to aiding in general protein digestion. In addition, the acid protease enzyme of the present invention helps to break down lipoproteins and glycoproteins contained in foods like legumes.
Because foods containing the troublesome oligosaccharides raffinose, stachyose and verbascose also contain lipids and lipoproteins which tend to coat the ingested food and thereby hinder the beta-fructofuranosidase enzyme from contacting these oligosaccharides and thereby converting them to reducing sugars, an additional advantage of the present invention is the presence of a lipase enzyme to hydrolyze the ingested lipids coating ingested food and the presence of an acid protease enzyme to deconjugate the ingested lipoproteins coating ingested food, to attain an enhanced quantity of reducing sugars through oligosaccharide conversion.
The enzyme food supplement compositions of this invention are of value to any one who has suffered gastrointestinal distress caused by ingesting foods containing the oligosaccharides raffinose, stachyose and verbascose.
To the best of applicant's knowledge, the presently claimed beta-fructofuranosidase enzyme food supplement compositions are the first such compositions that seek to alleviate the problem of gastrointestinal distress by utilizing the unique combination of a beta-fructofuranosidase enzyme, a cellulase enzyme and a hemicellulase enzyme, and optionally a lipase enzyme and an acid protease enzyme.
The major advantage of the present invention is that the unique combination of enzymes is able to convert, effectively in the gastrointestinal system of a human being, undigestible oligosaccharides to digestible reducing sugars, thereby alleviating gastrointestinal distress which is normally associated with the ingestion of foods containing such oligosaccharides.
These and additional objects and advantages of the present invention are shown from the description below.